Sam Kerr and partner Kristie Mewis embrace after heart-stopping win
Sam Kerr has melted the hearts of the nation with a post-match moment after one of the biggest wins in Australian sporting history.
Sam Kerr has melted the hearts of the nation with a warm embrace and kiss with partner Kristie Mewis.
Mewis plays for the US Women’s National Team, but after the Americans were knocked out in heartbreaking fashion against Sweden in the Round of 16, has been on hand as Kerr’s number one supporter as she attempts to lead the Australians to World Cup glory.
In what would have been a refreshing change to be on the winning side of a penalty shootout for Mewis, the pair embraced after Cortnee Vine slotted her penalty into the bottom right to seal the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history for Australia, and fire the Matildas into the semi-finals.
Kerr and Mewis, a US Women’s National Team midfielder, have been a public item since at least the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which saw Australia lose to the Americans in the bronze medal match.
The pair weren’t the only footballing couple at Lang Park to witness the shootout, with Dutch midfielder Danielle van de Donk present to support her partner, Matildas star fullback Ellie Carpenter.
The pair met as teammates at French giant Lyon, where they both play.
Van de Donk was pictured on social media alongside football writer Genevieve Henry, wearing Carpenter’s signature blue headband, as well as a Matildas kit with her number 21 on it – the coat of arms on the kit indicating that it was indeed one of Carpenter’s own player-supplied shirts.
It came after a heart-stopping victory for the Matildas, which saw the nation stop in celebration.
It was a wild 120 minutes which almost had it all except goals.
There were two golden chances each in the first half but it was Australia’s Mary Fowler who had the best.
A desperation goal line save from French defender Elisa De Almeida denied Fowler a tap-in late in the first half as the Matildas turned the momentum.
Kerr came off the bench in the 55th minute and seemed to spark the Matildas but it was to avail as Australia played out the first scoreless draw after 90 minutes in our World Cup history.
It looked as though France had scored in extra-time when Alanna Kennedy appeared to head the ball into her own goal after a dubious line call handed France a corner, but Les Bleues were denied after French captain Wendie Renaud was pinged for dragging down Caitlin Foord in the box.
After a scoreless draw over 120 minutes, the shootout was as tense as it could be.
It was the longest shootout in World Cup history — men’s or women’s — going 10 rounds with Australia coming out on top 7-6.
The previous longest was the Sweden-USA shootout earlier in this World Cup which went seven rounds, while the longest men’s shootout was six rounds between West Germany and France in the 1982 semi-final and the 1994 quarterfinal between Sweden and Romania.
After Mackenzie Arnold came up huge between the sticks, saving four shots, including a replayed shot, it came down to Cortnee Vine slotting what has already gone into Australian sporting folklore.
The Matildas play England for a spot in the World Cup final on Wednesday 16 August at 8pm AEST at Stadium Australia.
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